Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA)
The Immigration Advisers Authority is the New Zealand body that sets standards for immigration advisers and maintains the public register of who is licensed. It operates under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 and is one of three bodies that share the regulation of immigration advice.
Quick Facts
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Governing law | Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 and the Immigration Advisers Licensing Regulations 2008 |
| What it does | Sets and monitors standards through competency requirements and a Code of Conduct; maintains the public register |
| Public register | https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration |
| Funded partly by | The immigration levy charged on visa applications |
| Falsely claiming to be licensed | Up to NZD $10,000 and/or 2 years' imprisonment |
| Employing an unlicensed adviser | Up to NZD $10,000 and/or 2 years' imprisonment |
Why it matters
If you are paying someone to help with a New Zealand visa, the Authority is the reason you can check whether they are real, and the reason there is somewhere to go when they are not.
Its register is the single point of truth. Everything else — a website, a certificate on a wall, a licence number in an email signature, a claim in a WhatsApp message — is unverified until it matches the register. Falsely claiming to be licensed is a criminal offence in its own right, which tells you how often the claim is made.
The Authority also matters because it is quietly funded by you. The immigration levy on visa applications funds migrant settlement programmes, immigration research, system infrastructure, migrant attraction activity — and the Immigration Advisers Authority. Every applicant contributes to the regulator through the immigration levy.
The three bodies
The regime is split across three organisations, and confusing them wastes time when something goes wrong.
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) | Sets and monitors standards using competency requirements and a Code of Conduct. Maintains the register and protects people who receive immigration advice |
| Registrar of Immigration Advisers | Makes licensing decisions and handles complaints |
| Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal | Hears referred complaints and licensing appeals. Can cancel an adviser's licence or order an adviser to refund their fees |
The third is the one that gets your money back. Complaints are made to the Registrar, and referred to the Tribunal where warranted. See how to complain about an immigration adviser.
Note that this Tribunal is a different body from the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, which hears visa and deportation appeals. Both are administered through the Ministry of Justice, and their names are similar enough that people file in the wrong place.
What the Authority publishes
Alongside the register, the Authority publishes the Code of Conduct advisers must follow, the competency standards they must meet, an enforcement policy, and judicial and tribunal decisions in adviser cases. The decisions are worth knowing about: they are the public record of what advisers have actually been disciplined for.
Licensed advisers must be honest, professional and respectful; provide ongoing, timely updates; charge fees that are fair and reasonable; and meet the competency standards and Code the Authority sets. Those four obligations are the practical content of a licence.
What people get wrong about it
Using the wrong web address for the register. The register lives at https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration, linked from the Authority's own site at www.iaa.govt.nz. Older addresses circulating online no longer resolve. If a link fails, go through the Authority's homepage rather than trusting a copy.
Assuming the Authority decides visa applications. It does not. It regulates advisers. Visa decisions are INZ's, and appeals against them go to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal.
Assuming a complaint fixes a visa. It does not. A disciplinary outcome can cancel a licence or order fees refunded. It does not reopen a declined application.
Confusing the two tribunals. The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal deals with advisers. The Immigration and Protection Tribunal deals with residence declines, deportation liability and refugee matters.
Assuming all advisers hold the same licence. The Authority references applying for, renewing and upgrading licences, which implies more than one licence type — but the categories and what each permits are not set out on INZ's regulation page. Check the Authority's own site rather than relying on any third-party description of licence tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Immigration Advisers Authority?
The New Zealand body that sets and monitors standards for licensed immigration advisers and maintains the public register. It operates under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 and the Immigration Advisers Licensing Regulations 2008.
Where is the IAA register of licensed immigration advisers?
At https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration, linked from the Authority's website. It is the only authoritative way to confirm someone is licensed.
Who regulates immigration advisers in New Zealand?
Three bodies share it: the Immigration Advisers Authority sets standards and holds the register; the Registrar of Immigration Advisers makes licensing decisions and handles complaints; and the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal hears referred complaints and licensing appeals.
What can the disciplinary tribunal do to an adviser?
It can make decisions including cancelling an adviser's licence and ordering an adviser to refund their fees. It cannot change an immigration decision.
Is it illegal to say you are a licensed immigration adviser when you are not?
Yes. It carries up to NZD $10,000 and/or 2 years' imprisonment. Employing an unlicensed adviser carries the same maximum penalty. Giving immigration advice without a licence carries up to NZD $100,000 and/or 7 years' imprisonment.
How is the Immigration Advisers Authority funded?
Partly through the immigration levy charged on visa applications, which INZ lists among the things the levy funds alongside settlement programmes, research, system infrastructure and migrant attraction.
What should I do if my adviser was not licensed?
Complaints go to the Registrar of Immigration Advisers and can be referred to the disciplinary tribunal. If money has been taken, see paid an immigration scammer — what to do.
